242 COOKERY OF THE HARE 



the Clcikum Clul)' recorded l)y ' Meg Dods' (said 

 to have been written by Sir AValter Scott), that no 

 hare tasted so well as ' one that had been shot in a 

 gentlemanly way.' 



Next in regard to preparation. Under this head- 

 ing there are one or two points which ought to be 

 mentioned. In the first place, a hare should not be 

 paunched until it is required for the table, a propos of 

 which operation no advice can be worse than that 

 given in many cookery books (have I not sinned 

 myself?) as to washing — even soaking — a hare. The 

 process of cleaning should be conducted without the 

 use of water, all blood should be saved with the liver, 

 heart and kidneys, and when this has been done 

 careful wiping with a clean dry cloth is all that is 

 necessary. Flavour is lost by washing, while soaking 

 draws out the blood— the very thing that you particu- 

 larly want to keep in the flesh — and extracts nutritive 

 value also. The question of marinading should now 

 be decided. This is held by some to be advisable, 

 and by others to be a mistake. My experience leads 

 me to recommend the step in all cases in which the 

 animal may come of an inferior breed — with the 

 Indian hare, for instance, it is decidedly efficacious— 

 and also when for any reason premature paunching 

 cannot be avoided. The mixture best adapted for 



